


A Thing of Beauty, I Know (We'll Never Fade Away)

by unburnttkhaleesi



Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: BAMF Toni, Electroconvulsive Therapy, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Homophia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspired by Cyberpunk 2077, bamf shelby, corpo princess shelby, dave goodkind is a real pos, idk ill add more tags later, streetkid/mox toni
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28803558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unburnttkhaleesi/pseuds/unburnttkhaleesi
Summary: She pretends not to hear that as Fatin walks in, Shelby following her. This time she can look at Shelby without actually having to hide the fact she was looking. Shelby was- well Shelby was perfect, as if she was made in a lab. Not a blemish on her skin, or hair out of place, she was in a sense- perfect and not shy at all. Shelby stands tall and proud, as she studies Toni- lucky for her, not scanning her with her cyberware. Her golden eyes look her up and down, pursing her pink lips together while her eyes settle on her lips for a half of a second.  “You’re the brain dance genius?” Shelby asks and if Toni would be so bold, sounded impressed. “You’re Toni Shalifoe?”Or the Shoni/Goodfoe Cyberpunk 2077 AU that no one asked for.
Relationships: Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Comments: 15
Kudos: 83





	1. The Information

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so the Cyberpunk 2077 AU Goodfoe fic that no one asked for but is being done. Now it's okay if you don't know the lore or play the game because I will try my best to explain it in the story. So the game takes place in a futuristic alternate universe America, more so California. Mankind is more technologically advance, humans have cybernetic implants for just about everything. Though I am rambling and extremely tired so here are some wiki links instead
> 
> The Lore and History: https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Night_City
> 
> Braindances: https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Braindance
> 
> Like I said, I will try to explain it further as we get into this story, gonna go for ten chapters with this.  
> And if you hated Dave Goodkind before, you're gonna hate him more. Read the tags, please, read the tags.

Night City wasn’t the best place to live. In fact, it had so gratefully earned the title of the worst place to live in America and she would have to agree. The city was divided, different sectors, led by different gangs and crooked cops. She had lost count how many times she was shoved into gravel, an NCPD boot on her head as another cuffed her- snarling in her ear how they wouldn’t hesitate to embed a bullet in her skull. They had blood on their hands, but didn’t everyone else in this god forsaken city? However, she never found herself behind bars for a long time, her fellow family members saw to that. There was always a weak link in the NCPD and a good eye could spot it a mile away.

The city though, was beautiful though- underneath all of it’s ugliness. When the sun fell over the ocean, they city would come to life with neon lights. It never slept, almost like it’s inhabitants. The rich and elite up in Corpro Plaza and Charter Hill in their fancy cars and brand name clothes, always finding ways to become richer in their lavished offices and penthouses that overlooked the city.

Or the people like her down below, the people that lived day by day. The people that knew that one wrong turn down a sketchy alley way could mean life or death, who wore clothes meant to catch a stray bullet if one where to walk by a local gang war. People like her that took a risk walking out of their homes every morning knowing that there could be a possibility that they wouldn’t return.

It was more of a place that you had to learn how to survive in and Toni Shalifoe was good at doing just so, surviving. It’s why she joined the Moxes, survival and to help others survive Toni protected those who needed it, since the NCPD could care less about sex workers. She lost count of the amount of pervs that found themselves staring down the barrel of her shot gun, safety off and a hiss of a threat on her lips while a bruised and battered Joytoy stood behind her, shaking. She had to keep herself safe growing up, so why not share what she learned.

It’s why she is sitting in Lizzie’s today, a bag of ice on her bent nose as she nurses a whiskey. The strip club that also acted as a brothel was her home away from home. It’s where she’d meet the women that she called her friends and it’s where she’d find herself after a long day of being someone’s bodyguard.

Today she had Fatin.

Fatin who had once lived a life up in Charter Hill in a penthouse, daughter to a corpo elite, Fatin who had now become one of their most expensive girls- high end. The media called it her fall from grace, Fatin had called it her awaking.

Sex wasn’t dirty, she’d tell Toni as she escorted her to a building downtown in the plaza. ‘ _I mean look at it, it’s everywhere. All the adds, all the media? It’s sex. I mean for Christ sake, the add for fuckin’ soda has a silhouette of a bare ass naked girl.’_

And to say Fatin was sex positive was an understatement and Toni had no issue with that, it’s why she liked her, called her a friend because Fatin was honest.

However, today Fatin was the reason why she had a broken nose. A guy twice their size had gotten a bit too rough and Toni had been called in. Was he nothing but pulp on the floor of his penthouse, yes, could Toni and Fatin be traced back to it, hell no. She made it to seem as if they were never there, ghosts by the time trauma team showed up.

“Stop being a fuckin’ pussy and let me set it.” Fatin hisses from across the bar. She feels guilty, it isn’t hard to figure that out and no matter how many times Toni would tell her not to feel bad about it, she would. Fatin always had an edge in her voice, but by now Toni knew it was the same reason why Toni had one in hers, survival.

Toni shakes her head and lets out a nasally. “What can I say? I am what I eat.”

They share a laugh as Toni drops the icepack, Fatin snorting and rolling her eyes. “You’re an ass.” She grumbles before leaning over, not even giving the courtesy to count before she set’s Ton’s nose back into place.

“Fuck, ow! Son of a bitch!” She roars and winces as Fatin puts the icepack back up to her face. “Damnit.”

Fatin smirks. “It’s been broken so many times, should be used to it by now.” And then laughs as Toni curses under her breath. However, there is a small moment of silence between them, Toni downs her drink, eyes still closed when she hears. “Holy shit,” A punch to her arm from Fatin. “Toni- holy shit, turn around.”

Now Toni wasn’t sure if that asshole from earlier hit her hard enough to make her hallucinate, because what she sees has to be a hallucination.

Shelby Goodkind, daughter and heir to the mega corporation, Goodkind Industries had just casually walked into Lizzie. “Am I- you’re seeing this right?”

Everyone in Night City, hell everyone in America knew of the Goodkinds. Dave Goodkind who seemed to rise from the backwoods of the south with a dream of bringing the American Dream back to life. His pitch had been wholesomeness, to rebuild suburbs, churches, have normal nuclear families. The man goes to work, woman stays home and raises their 2.5 kids and keeps their white picket fence home clean. America bought into it, and Dave built neighborhoods like her promised, homes where a man and a woman could start a family and go to church every Sunday and follow the righteous path of the lord. Not only did he build new neighborhoods, but he also built a faith- and Toni didn’t agree with his aggressive ways. He may have built homes, founded churches, preached the word of god, but he also left destruction and hate in his wake and Shelby was the heir to all of that money and hate.

Shelby Goodkind did not walk into Kabuki without a purpose, unless she finally had enough- or lost her mind.

“Shelby Goodkind in a strip club- Shelby Goodkind in _our_ strip club?” Fatin asks and Toni nods.

“Yeah, I’m seeing it.”

She was- well Shelby was for lack of words stunning. Toni had seen Shelby on tv, mostly in interviews looking clean cut in a dress, hair down and usually beside her trophy boyfriend. But right now, well shit- right now, she didn’t look like that Shelby Goodkind. She was in a slim cut pastel pink suit, gold chain on her neck and her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail, secured by a gold band. It makes Toni look down at her blood-stained black tattered crop top, patched jeans and mudded up combat boots, her jacket- which had been tossed somewhere downstairs in her office (basement) was just as worn, just as dirty- probably covered in dried specks of blood like her shirt.

She watches Shelby like a hawk- even more so when she chats up Regan. She smiles at Regan, the award-winning smile that had to cost a good amount of money and bats her eyelashes. A hit of jealousy flares up inside of Toni because Regan may be her ex, but she just eats this up. Regan isn’t dumb, Regan knows who she is currently talking to and she knows that she could make a profit from her. “What, she’s here because she wants a night with Regan?” Toni grumbles.

Fatin snorts. “That’s bullshit, we both know that I’m a better fuck than that one.”

“She has a boyfriend- or fiancé, whatever the fuck that prick is.” Toni reminds Fatin who shrugs.

“You both know that doesn’t mean a thing,” And Toni winces when Fatin hits her arm again. “Fuck, she’s coming this way- act normal.”

Shelby Goodkind had this air about her, Toni decides. It’s almost as if she floats over with how graceful her movements are, she figured she’d been trained on how to be proper from day one. She takes a seat at the bar- well she actually sits beside her and Toni can smell the privilege and the expensive perfume wafting off of her and waves the bar tender over. Thom doesn’t look amused, no one is when a suit enters.

“Yeah?” He asks gruffly. “What do you want?”

Toni and Fatin share a look, Toni scoffing as Fatin straightens herself up- pulling her mirror from her purse. Shelby, given her part ignores them both and Toni tries to ignore how fuckin’ beautiful she is.

“Sure can,” Shelby answers, her Texan drawl apparent. “I’m lookin’ for someone, Toni Shalifoe.”

Fatin’s jaw drops and Toni stiffens. Why in gods name would she be looking for her? Fear rushes over her, did Shelby know about what happened in the high rise? Did she need to get the hell out before the NCPD came busting through the door? Did she know the guy that Toni well- flatlined?

“What do you want with her?” Thom asks casually as Toni pushes herself from the bar. “Toni’s not a joytoy you know, girl you were just talking to is.”

Shelby shakes her head. “Oh on, god no- I’m not here for sex.” Even under the blue light of the bar, Toni could pick out a tinge of pink in her cheeks. “I just heard that Toni is good with brain dances. Cracking ‘em? I need something done- discreetly.”

Okay so maybe she should jet, get downstairs and clean up her area a bit. Thom raises a brow, glances over at Toni and Shelby follows his gaze before clearing her throat. “So, is Toni here?”

“I can take you to her.” Fatin purrs as Toni briskly walks away from the bar. “It’s been a long time, though, Goodkind- maybe we should catch up?”

There is a beat and then. “Fatin? Wait, Fatin Jademani? Your dad said that you were, well he said you died.”

Fatin’s boisterous laugh fills the air. “Babe, I am just dead to him.”

Toni knows Fatin could buy her some time- though she doesn’t really get why she’d needs time, until she sees the state her office is in.

It’s nothing special, really. It’s just her spot past the server room past a set of glass double doors. It was poorly lit at the moment, only her monitors keeping the space lit with a blue glow. Her desk stat near the door across from the small lounge she set up. A worn and torn leather couch, two plush chairs, and a coffee table. Against the wall stood a few more servers and shelves with unorganized cardboard boxes and a neon ‘Lizze’s Bar’ sign just above it. A television was mounted on the wall across from her desk and a mini fridge at her side. She once thought about moving a cot down here, but she needed to separate her office from her apartment, so she had decided against it.

Empty paper cups of coffee litter the desk along with wrappers from fast food joints. She pushes them off her desk into the already overflowing trash can and curses as some clatter to the ground. Now hyper aware that people where descending the stairs she rushes, using her foot to push down the trash as Fatin’s voice rings out.

“Oh yeah, that funeral? Oh god no, that urn was empty- all for show, Shelby. Now the fate of my dad’s corp is on the hands of my brothers, god help them.”

Toni plops herself down into her swivel chair as Fatin pushes the door open. “Just- be nice, Shelby. Toni will help, but don’t be,” She sighs. “God how do I say this…don’t be that Shelby we all see on TV.”

She pretends not to hear that as Fatin walks in, Shelby following her. This time she can look at Shelby without actually having to hide the fact she was looking. Shelby was- well Shelby was perfect, as if she was made in a lab. Not a blemish on her skin, or hair out of place, she was in a sense- perfect and not shy at all. Shelby stands tall and proud, as she studies Toni- lucky for her, not scanning her with her cyberware. Her golden eyes look her up and down, pursing her pink lips together while her eyes settle on her lips for a half of a second. “You’re the brain dance genius?” Shelby asks and if Toni would be so bold, sounded impressed. “You’re Toni Shalifoe?”

Toni licks her lips against a smile as she slumps back into her chair. “Not what you were expecting?”

“No, not exactly. I was expecting well,” Shelby laughs breathlessly. “Well not- well, you.”

“You mean, not a woman?” Toni corrects her. “I mean I heard rumors that the Goodkinds were a little backwards, but,”

Shelby shakes her head and wrings her hands together. “No, it’s not that. I just- Fatin also said you were like, her muscle and you seem kinda, I dunno scrawny?”

“It’s the tiny ones that are always full of rage.” Fatin points out lightly, trying to ease what she thought was anger filled tension, but it was something else. Something around the lines that one, Toni hadn’t had a decent lay since she and Regan called it quits and two Shelby had this, as she thought earlier, this air about her and Toni had felt a pull to her. Maybe it was curiosity of why this woman worth millions is currently in front of her in a basement of a strip club owned by a gang no less.

“Why are you here, Shelby?” Toni finally gets to the point. She has to, because the more she looks at this woman in her pink blazer and form fitting pants, the more she wants to do something about that form fitting suit. “It’s not every day that an heir to a major corporation walks into Lizzies, people are going to find out. You’re in the wrong side of town, hell, you’ve probably never stepped foot outta Charter Hill since you got here. So why here, why a strip club in Kabuki? Wouldn’t those religious nut jobs go insane if they found out? What could you possibly want from me?”

Shelby opens her mouth for a moment and then closes it before she reaches into her pocket to pull out a slick black case. “I have these braindances.”

Toni crosses her arms. “Thought you people didn’t believe in BDs.”

She gives her this look but Toni continues on, getting up from her chair and rounding the desk. “I believe your father spoke on live TV that they were sinful, filled man with all sorts of temptations- perversions. Didn’t he denounce them in his whole ‘Make America Wholesome again’?” She asks her. “Yeah, it was this whole thing about denouncing the tech, going back to our roots until.” Toni smirks. “Until daddy figured out, he could make more money off of turning the fucking bible into a braindance.” She scoffs. “So, if that is what I think it is, you can fuck off.” She nods towards the door. “I’m not gonna upload a guy getting fuckin’ crucified in a BD, got it?”

“No, I no- It’s not that, I.” She sighs. “Look, I don’t agree with the shit my dad does or says, alright. America was never a wholesome or a paradise to begin with.” Shelby defends and Fatin chuckles from the corner.

“What? It is if you are white and born with a dick.” Fatin points out as she lights a cigarette.

Shelby steps closer and Toni feels cagey, this close to a pretty woman and a suit at that point wasn’t good for her nerves. “Please, let me explain.” She takes a breath and opens the black case. “These are braindances, yes, but it’s not the bible. I found them in a safe in my dad’s office, they have some recordings that I want to see- my dad, he isn’t the god-fearing man that you see on TV. He’s well, he hurt someone I care about and I think everything I need to convict him is in one of those braindances.”

Toni sighs and reluctantly takes the case, keeping her eyes on Shelby as she sits down at her desk again. Now she is intrigued, Shelby has hooked her in and having dirt on a mega corporation, well that could help in the long run. “Alright, you need to understand that this may take a few days and your dad may find out. I don’t know about you, but if these were in a safe, that means that he doesn’t want anyone to see them.”

However, Shelby shakes her head. “You don’t have to worry about him,” A pause. “He is in a comatose state.”

“Wait, what?” Toni asks, bewildered. “I haven’t heard anything about that.” She turns around in her chair and puts on the TV. “News ain’t covering it.”

“Because they won’t, no one is supposed to know. Last thing Dave Goodkind wants is for his bad brain implant to go all over the news.” She leans both hands on Toni’s desk, forcing her to look her dead in the eye. “Promise me you won’t say a word, nothing to no one. I can’t have this screwed up, because I want the only way he leaves that fuckin’ hospital is in handcuffs. Understand?” That sweet Texan princess voice is gone and there is a hint of darkness in her tone. It struck Toni that whatever Shelby’s father had done must have fucked her up

The look in her eye scares Toni just a bit. Shelby Goodkind being out for blood against her own father was a bit off kilter and Toni knows she’ll understand why once she decrypts the data on the braindances. Toni swallows as she takes out one of the chips and boots her computer on. She’ll help the heiress, Toni hated Dave Goodkind as much as his own daughter. “You had me at Dave Goodkind in handcuffs.” She chuckles as she slides the first chip into the side of the computer, her gaze flicks back up and she notices that Shelby visibly relaxes. “I do have to know what we are looking for though, is this some sermon or I don’t know, sex tapes?” Toni was reaching but she realized she hit the mark on that one. “It’s the latter of those two choices, isn’t it?”

Shelby blinks and her shoulders slump, her pride seemed to come and go- even more as she had to let go of this ideal image she had of her family. “My father-” She clears her throat. “Was not the man that I thought he was.”

Whatever Shelby Goodkind was about to admit already seemed to have messed with her, so she motions for Fatin and bring a chair over so the blonde woman could sit down, and Toni pours her another drink, Shelby accepts it gratefully. “There is this woman on one of those BDs, Becca Gilroy.” She swings the whole shot back and grimaces. “She was a friend of mine; I’m doing this for her.”

“ _Was_?” Toni asks, not looking away from screen as a series of numbers and letters appear on her screen. She’s almost scared to ask, but this was Night City after all. “Is she?”

Shelby shakes her head. “No, uh- no she’s alive, so are all of the other women on those chips. Becca left night city after her- after what happened. I think she’s with some Nomad Clan. I was told by the merc who got her out that it was for her own safety from my dad,” She pauses, reaching over the desk to grab the bottle of whiskey. “I just wish I had believed her when she told me.”

“Why didn’t you?” The question falls out of Toni’s mouth before she can stop it, but she stands by it- even with the glare she received from Fatin. “If you cared about her as much as you claim, why didn’t you believe her?”

The other woman is silent as she stares down into her whiskey and Toni again- scoffs. “Typical, you corporate rats and your skeletons. Am I even allowed to watch the BDs after I get the encryption off?” She pushes. “How bad can it be? You know how much Jig-Jig street porn comes through here? How many idiots think it’s a good idea to send a Mox their ‘hardcore’ shit and think that they won’t end up in a back-alley dumpster? It’s sad to say that I am numb to this shit by now, how fuckin’ disgusting men in night city can be.”

“I,” Shelby looks distraught for a moment and before she takes a swing from the bottle of whiskey. “You didn’t see what they looked like after-” She closes her eyes, as if she is trying to wipe a memory from her brain. “It’s why I came here, came to the Moxes because I know that you protect women” She sighs again looking down at the bottle. “But if you can handle it, then watch it.”

“What is the worst it could do, make me hate Dave Goodkind even more?” Toni snorts. “I don’t think that’s possible.” She turns back to her monitor. “But if it gets Dave Goodkind behind bars, I’m behind you.”

Shelby puts the bottle down and leans on her elbows. “Why do you hate him, I mean besides most street kids hating corps because it’s the ‘cool’ thing to do.”

Fatin clears her throat, thankfully, she knows Toni and she must have caught the way her eyebrow twitched because she swoops in. “Like most people living paycheck to paycheck, we have our reasons. Some families have to go hungry for the night, poverty levels are rising and all the elite do is promise to make things better but- it never happens.” She props herself up onto Toni’s desk. “It’s all about humbling yourself Shelby. You’ve spent all your life sheltered, I mean have you seen the rest of Kabuki, or even Pacifica?” Toni catches how Shelby shakes her head and Fatin crosses her legs. “Maybe Toni could give you the grand tour one day- to see what the rich do to the poor.”

“Why me?” Toni snips and Fatin looks over her shoulder giving her a wink.

“You know me, T, I like to keep things interesting.” Fatin teases. “Besides, I’m sure it’s the soul awaking our little corpo princess would need- get your mind off the bullshit? Not tonight of course because you are still on duty until I fall asleep and you got this shit to handle. So,” She waves her hand as she jumps down and saunters over to the beat-up couch Toni kept around. “Do your techy thing, I’m gonna catch some shut eye.”

Toni looks over the monitor at her in confusion as she tries to ignore the way Shelby is looking at her. She can’t pinpoint the emotion and figured that Shelby was just trying to still figure her out- Toni was honestly trying to do the same thing. “You don’t want me to walk you home?”

“Nope,” Fatin says, popping the ‘p’. “I’m involved now, I wanna see where this goes.”

Shelby turns to look at her. “Then you know that you can’t say anything.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Fatin waves her off. “Give me the NDA, I’ll sign it.”

Toni tries to hold back the laugh when Shelby’s face visibly pales. “You don’t have an NDA, do you?” Toni asks slowly and Shelby tilts her head back and huffs in aggravation. “Yeah, you’re lucky that the two of us keep our word. In the future though, have your shit together. Anyone else in night city won’t be as nice.”

Shelby doesn’t leave, oh no. She stays even when Toni gives Shelby her number she stays, and she is distracting to say the least.

It starts with her pacing, to what she claimed was walking, around her office. That’s how her first hour of the night goes, Shelby pacing (walking) and looking at her things and it bothers her. It bothers her because she doesn’t like it when a person that she hardly knows is in her space and looking at her stuff- it doesn’t help that Dave Goodkind must have some next level protection on these braindances and her nose still really fucking hurts.

And the clacking of her heels against the linoleum floor? Well that is just the cake on top that makes Toni slam her hand down. “Can you please sit the fuck down?” Toni gripes. Shelby spins around, first looking at Fatin who is still snoozing soundly and then towards Toni. “I’m cagey as it is, I don’t like it when people pace.”

“It’s not pacing, I’m walking.” Shelby tells her again. “It helps me calm down.” And starts pacing again.

“Yeah? Well it’s making me anxious.” Toni bites and Shelby stops. “And if you want the first chip cracked by tonight you can either leave or sit down.” And focus back on her screen.

Her fingernails dig into her palm when she hears the ‘clack, clack, clack’ of her heels and then silence. The light smell of her perfume fills her senses, and she is suddenly aware that Shelby is currently standing right beside her, looking over her shoulder. She smells like lavender- which calms her down, but just having her this close doesn’t help her nerves. “Where did you learn how to do all of this?” Shelby asks her a little to close to her ear. “All this hacking stuff, did you teach yourself or?”

Toni shakes her head. “Sorta? I served with Militech for five years, special ops behind the scenes. Grunts would storm the castle and I would hack into the mainframe.” She explains, not taking her eyes off the screen. “I didn’t sign up for it, they sorta recruited me. When I was eighteen, I got into Militech’s mainframe. I was bored, had nothing to do so I thought- why not.”

Shelby chuckles. “So, you are this chaotic genius?”

Toni glances over at her and smirks. “You could say that.” And her eyes find the monitor again. “Instead of locking me up, they took me in and taught me how to properly become a netrunner without being caught. So, I signed on for five years, did my time, collected some scars and horror stories along the way and here I am now after being discharged.” She scoffs. “This country has a helluva way of treating those who served. It’s like hey, thank you for your service. Take these hunks of metal, some PTSD, and don’t bother us or our shining cities. Then they wonder why cyberpsychosis is a thing.” Toni grumbles and then sits back. “On another note, I just got us past the first firewall.”

She can feel Shelby’s eyes on her, it’s why she doesn’t turn to look at her again. She doesn’t want her pity or even admiration, she was just doing what she was good at after all. “Really, how can you tell?”

Toni stretches her limbs. “Because there are new numbers and letter which means that there is a new firewall. Your dad really wanted this to never come out.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem for an ex-militech netrunner, right?” Shelby’s tone is playful- maybe even flirty which makes Toni look at her again. “Why did you leave Militech? Someone with your skill could-”

Toni doesn’t even let her finish. “Because it wasn’t for me, okay?”

“But programing brain dance porn and joining up with the Mox is your thing?” Shelby asks and normally this is when Toni would go ape-shit, expect she realizes that Shelby isn’t mocking her, she’s genuinely curious.

Toni shrugs. “Yeah, it is my thing. The BD programing is just a plus. I like what the Moxes stands for.” She tells her. “Literally sticking it to the man, having a safe place where Joytoys can do their jobs and I guess they really wanted an ex-netrunner on their squad so. Here I am.”

“Okay, but where did you learn how to hack before Militech?” Shelby is really pushing the personal questions and Toni isn’t up for it tonight.

“Maybe you should take me on a date, buy me a few drinks before we get that deep into each other’s background.” And she chuckles when Shelby does pink. “I’m sure you’re boytoy wouldn’t be happy about that.”

Shelby rolls her eyes and perches herself on the edge of Toni’s desk. “Oh Andrew, yeah as soon as my dad went down, I ended that set up.”

“Set up?” Toni is now the one that is pushing the personal questions. “Thought he was your boyfriend?”

“Not by my choice, I didn’t want it- or him. But when Dave Goodkind catches his daughter kissing a woman, he freaks because she’ll ruin his ideal americana image. So, he tries to fix her, it fucks her up, she is sent away to heal from the original fix and then presents her with a boyfriend when she gets back. She’s scared so she goes with it, masks herself.” Shelby recalls, her perfect features shining in the neon glow of the Lizze’s sign. “And she pretends.”

And Toni begins to feel a new sort of respect for this enigma of a woman and the secrets that must be hidden underneath those golden green eyes.

“Until now?”

“Yeah, until now.”

Toni nods her head and then laughs. “Christ, who the hell knew.” She pushes her chair away from her desk. “I’m actually going to take a quick smoke break, wanna join?”

“Wait, are you genuinely being nice to me now that I spilled some personal info?” And the smile she gives her, it’s not like the ones she’s seen on tv or the news, it’s genuine, beautiful.

“Don’t push it, you’re still a copro princess in my book.” Toni warns her, albeit playfully as she grabs her lighter. “You comin’ or not? Fresh air will do you some good.”

She laughs at the way Shelby bounces over to the door. “Ugh, you had me at fresh air.”

“Still polluted with god knows what, but better than the shit down here,” She pushes open the door. “After you, Goodkind.”

The blonde woman doesn’t hide the blush that spreads across her cheeks and Toni begins to think that maybe working for Shelby Goodkind wouldn’t be all that bad.


	2. The Space In-between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos! The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is really amazing, now if only the game didn't crash all the time, I'd have no complaints. 
> 
> I will slowly start to introduce more of the girls once I figure a space for them as well!

Shelby Goodkind had morals, standards.

She was raised on the knowledge that god loves her, that god does beauty, and that god doesn’t make mistakes.

She was also raised by the book, the holy book. Which now, looking back on it is a big fucking joke being that her father was somehow broke every commandment that he had enforced in her skull since infancy.

When she finds out about her father’s condition, she rushes to Night City from the quaint home she was making in one of her father’s suburban paradises in Texas and when she docks at Med-Tech, she gets the worst news possible from her sobbing mother, a comatose state, non-responsive, cyberpsychosis. She thought only faulty implants did that to a brain, she thought it only impacted veterans, but she thought wrong. She was told by her mother and the members of the pr team, not to tell the media the truth- and she knows why, after all, her history happens to be the best hidden Goodkind secret, until now.

Her dad going insane had just been the tip of the iceberg.

Because she tells herself that she is going into her father’s office, that is what she tells herself when she breaks into her father’s computer and that is what she thought until she reads his emails. She didn’t know what an out of body experience felt like till that day. She reads conversations between her father and Mr. Gilroy, threats as he questioned Becca’s whereabouts. She reads and reads and reads about other women in different emails between his close circle- bragging about what he had done and the pictures- she turns the monitor to the side when she see’s Becca’s pictures.

Her stomach drops, she feels dizzy and nauseous. She wants to vomit, she does vomit and it doesn’t help.

Dave Goodkind was a monster, and he had the gall to call _her_ a monster.

Becca, Becca had been telling the truth. The woman she had been friends with for all of her twenty-seven years in life, the woman that she had loved, more than just a friend had been telling the truth and she- she just dismissed her and now? She was gone, somewhere in the badlands with some Nomad group. Sure, it was for her safety- but if Shelby had believed her? Then maybe?

Once she has her bearings together, she turns the monitor back to face her- goes into another file and finds it- braindances. Dave Goodkind had been stupid enough to record all of this and if Shelby could- no Shelby would. She decided that she would leak this, not just for Becca and all the other women- but for herself, for the trauma he put her through- from that twisted doctor who sent electricity into her neroport to ‘fix’ her. All that had done was make things worse, all that did was cost her family more money in medical bills. Not that it mattered money wise, but her father never let her live that down.

It’s easy really, to scan the room with her brand new Kiroshi optics and when she finds the safe- she inputs the password that she already knows by heart. 17-24-04. The day she was born, the day Spencer was born, and the day Melody was born. Dave Goodkind, multi million air had a shit way of creating passwords.

However, she realizes that isn’t the truth when she tries to watch the BDS, coming across a screeching firewall that almost makes her go into a seizure. She throws the braindance wreath off her head and curses in frustration. Even in a comatose state, her father still found a way to screw her over.

Though as the fates would have it, not for long.

She hears about a bar in Kabuki, Lizzies home of the Mox.

Shelby only read lore about the gangs that ruled the districts and sub distracts of Night City. Luckily, she never ran into any of them because she would never leave Charter Hill. She’d often see news footage of a hideout being busted, mostly Maelstrom, people who had gone so far on implants that they don’t look human anymore and the Tyger Claws, ruthless people who had ties in with mega crops and at war with the Moxes, 6th Street who had twisted views on patriotism and were inline with her father (even though he’d deny it if it came out) The Valentinos over in Heywood who were always at war with the police, Animals who were so hopped up on steroids and at war with the smaller gang, The Voodoo Boys over in Pacifica and The Wraiths, a Nomad clan who harvested humans for their parts. So she had a reason to never leave until she hears about Toni Shalifoe.

Toni who, rumor has it was one of the best BD tech in night city. She had heard that movie studios and news stations tried to hire Toni, but Toni would refuse, deciding that it was best to stay humble. Shelby later realizes it is because it’s illegal. Hacking into BDs, working in the Mox, all illegal. It’s why she goes to Lizzies in an armored SUV because one, she isn’t stupid and two, she’s nervous about leaving her well protected apartment complex.

She discovers that outside of Charter Hill, Night City is still quite lovely. The Neon lights capture her eyes as her driver turns corners. She sees people outside walking home from work, a car parked in an empty lot, music playing as some people dance, others are in folding chairs eating. There are children playing basketball, mothers watching from their stoops, its well, it’s alive.

And so is Lizzies.

The Moxes outside flirt with her, tease her playfully. Saying that she looks too innocent to go in, that she has a lovely face. They of course let her in after a few more teasing quips and she rushes inside.

And again, it’s like nothing she had ever seen.

The people inside are just so carefree. The loud music pounds along as she steps by scantly clad women and whopping regulars. She hears a loud voice over the speaks and it makes her jump as it is directed to a man in a corner behind her. “I said no touching!” a Mox spits, pointing a silver spiked bat toward a large suit clad man, another woman standing behind her. “You know the rules!”

She walks past that scene and then a table where two women sit, the woman with pink hair and tanned freckled skin with half her hair shaved, tickling the side of her popped collar leather jacket. Her blue eyes flick up to look at her the other woman in a white crop top and half down overalls with pink and green hair catches her gaze and offers her a smile as she breezes past them.

However, another woman with captivating eyes and plump lips stops her, a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Can I help you baby?” She coos and Shelby swallows hard- beautiful women, she learned had become a weakness that she used to have to avoid. “You feeling a little lonely?” She tosses her long raven hair over her shoulder and steps closer into Shelby’s space.

Shelby’s cheeks burn, though she puts on a smile and shifts so she can lean on the table beside her. “You actually can help me.” She taps her fingernails against the table and catches her eyes. “Does Toni Shalifoe work here?”

Suddenly the other woman’s face goes from seduction to stone cold and she stiffens. “Why do you want Toni of all people?” She scoffs and then rolls her eyes and then points to the bar and Shelby follows her finger to a man standing on the other side. “Over there, and good luck with that one.”

Okay so he doesn’t look that menacing, actually sort of kind. So she walks over to them and takes a seat beside a woman with an icepack on her face while the woman beside the injured woman gawks at her. Shelby decides best to ignore them and talks to the man after he rudely asks her what she wants. “I’m looking for Toni Shalifoe?”

She feels the woman beside her leave and before the man behind the bar can answer her, the other woman speaks up. “You’re looking for Toni?” Her voice is a little husky and she recognizes her and then “Long time no see, Goodkind- maybe we should catch up?”

And that’s when it hits her. “Wait, Fatin? Fatin Jademani? I thought you were dead- I mean your dad said,”

Fatin Jademani scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh I’m dead to him, I freed myself babydoll from the tight grip of our corporate fathers. You come here to do the same?”

Shelby shakes her head. “Oh- oh no, I’m here because- well I need some help with braindances and I heard that Toni is-”

“The best of the best?” Fatin asks and Shelby nods. A prideful smile plays across her face. “Well there is no lie in that statement.”

Shelby’s curiosity starts to get the better of her as she looks Fatin over. She’s wearing a gold mini dress- tattoos scattered across her skin, heavy eye makeup. She looks different, happy. “Why did you- um, well why are you doing this?”

“What, having sex for money? Becoming a joytoy- a doll? Because,” She shrugs casually. “Because I was tired of being someone who I wasn’t. Getting all primmed up for one of my father’s parties so he can show me off, aka sell me off to some corporate’s son. I couldn’t do it, anymore Shelby.” Fatin tells her as she takes a drink from the bar tender. “And I’m surprised that you are still doing it. I mean Andrew? Really? You have better chemistry with a bucket of fish-heads.” She states as she sips through a metal straw. “You know he’s probably been through dozens of Joytoys by now, right?”

Shelby doesn’t miss a beat because she does know, she knows that Andrew has cheated on her and she knew he was involved in her father’s sex scandal. He received the emails as well, she wasn’t naïve, well not anymore. “I know, Fatin. It’s why I ended things.”

“Oh,” Fatin winces. “Well, I’m sure daddy dearest wasn’t happy about that one, didn’t he arrange this- thing between you two.”

“My dad doesn’t know,” She doesn’t go into detail, not yet anyway. “Look, as much as I’d love to keep catching up-”

“Yeah, yeah- you want Toni,” Fatin snorts. “Half the girls in here want a piece of that too. Consider yourself lucky that I am allowing this.” She smirks as she leads her down the basement stairs.

Fatin fills her in more about the so-called funeral she attended for her amongst other things and then begs her to be nice once they reach the blurred glass door. They slide open with a hiss and behind the desk was the woman from before- the one that had been sitting beside Fatin with an icepack on her face.

Now she was icepack free- nose a bit swollen and Shelby’s breath catches.

She had once been told by Doctor Farber that her attraction to women had been a perversion, something that needed to be set right, re-wired and all she ended up with after that nightmare was a fried brain and a years’ worth of learning how to be a person again.

However, it seemed like Doctor Farber’s methods were a load of shit- even if she knew that already and was glad he was behind bars, because this woman. She’s stunning.

And Shelby had never once felt so much of a magnet pull to another person before, she’s drawn to this person and she doesn’t even know her name. She would ask, but she’s too busy tracing her delicate jawline with her eyes- she wants to reach out, to touch but- hell, that would be strange and weird, and she didn’t even know if this woman liked other women in that way. She tries to stop her gaze from falling to her lips, or the dip of her exposed collar bone.

She looks a little roughed up, flecks of blood on her skin, wild hair and black and blue nose. Still the same, she was attractive and Shelby didn’t know if it was the other woman’s exposed abdomen that made the room hotter of if something in the building was on the fritz.

However, this woman is eyeing her up too and Shelby feels hot under her gaze, words become a problem until Fatin speaks up. “And here she is, the woman, the myth, the legend, Toni Shalifoe.”

“Wait, you’re the braindance genius,” Ah yes, there they were, there was her words. “You’re Toni Shalifoe.”

And then she speaks, and Shelby is hyperaware of the fact her heartrate spiked, she didn’t need her implants to tell her that. But her voice is low, raspy and Shelby thinks that she could listen to her all day.

Since when did a fucking voice make her stomach flutter.

Though Shelby realizes that she asked a question and is waiting on an answer, so she stumbles. “Well not- well, you.”

And despite that remark, Toni fucking chuckles and throws in an insult about her family which should piss her off. Now Shelby can’t get mad about that, she doesn’t have the energy in her to defend her father’s name. But she keeps letting this woman that she just met drag her family through the mud even after she presents Toni with the braindances. Shelby gets it, she gets the hate- she doesn’t like it being directed toward her, but she takes it, and she steps closer to the other woman and takes in her eyes. A warm brown- but a fire underneath them and her lips, full and pink.

She can’t be thinking like this now, she has to make sure that Toni could do this, she has to be professional and it’s easier said than done.

The way Toni looks at her when she tells her that she wants her father being led out in handcuffs or when she mentions Becca, the brown hues are full of something- maybe understanding, maybe the brunette was curious about what was going on in Shelby’s head, it made her mentally chuckle- like she’d even want to know that.

She discovers that she and Toni do have something in common though, a hate for Dave Goodkind and Shelby wants to know why Toni felt the same way, but judging by Fatin’s dismissive tone, she doesn’t push.

Then she blushes when Fatin changes the subject, tells Toni that she should take her out on a night of the town. Toni showing her parts of night city that Shelby had never seen and it makes her wonder how they’d get around the city, what kind of car Toni owned- her mind wanders to the possibility of them being alone together and- no, professional, keep it professional.

Fatin sticks around though, she’s out cold on a beat-up couch in Toni’s office and Shelby gets a lay of the land while Toni works. The brunette gave Shelby her number, meaning that she probably wanted Shelby to leave- but she couldn’t, her nerves where shot. So, she walks around, looking at the posters on the walls, some spare parts in cardboard boxes on shelves. She finds herself smiling at pictures of Toni and two other women in what looked like the badlands. A car behind them detailed with ‘Aldecaldos’, she furrowed her brows, Toni knew a group of nomads. The woman in the picture, one with long black hair, streaks of blue and another short brown hair have their arms around Toni and she’s beaming, arms slung around the both of them. Its there where Shelby realizes how short Toni actually is and she stops herself from laughing, it’s adorable really, but the last thing she wanted to do was get Toni mad. However, her mind goes back to the nomad group and Becca. Maybe Becca was there, maybe she found peace with them. Maybe if she asked Toni-

She looks over her shoulder at the other woman, her long waves pulled back, brow scrunched as she looks at the screen in front of her, mutter a string of curses words and sighs. If Shelby took a shot every time Toni had said the phrase ‘stupid motherfucker’ she’d be piss drunk right now.

She could ask Toni about the nomad group, she could ask her if she saw Becca among them, but she was already asking too much of her already. So, she keeps walking and somehow still manages to annoy Toni, who practically barks at her to sit down and again, Shelby doesn’t want to step on toes so she stops, explains herself and then feels bad when Toni shoots back. She doesn’t want to make her anxious.

So there is a pause, a beat and Shelby walks over to her. It’s the closest they’ve been since they met a few hours ago. She’s looking over Toni’s shoulder, trying to figure out what she’s doing because all Shelby sees is a headache so she finds herself asking. “Where did you learn how to do all of this.”

And she finds herself smiling when Toni admits to hacking into the damn military at eighteen out of pure boredom and then. “So you’re a chaotic genius?”

The smile she gets from Toni almost turns her into a pile of mush, but then she goes into her time with the military she it’s weird how Toni’s emotions radiate off of her- how Shelby can actually feel them. She knew what people that served with Militech dealt with, she is impressed when Toni tells her that she was a netrunner, and she wonders how many implants were in Toni’s head.

And then Shelby finds herself flirting with her, it just tumbles out before she can stop herself and she panics only for a moment before Toni smirks at her and eyes her up like she’s seeing right through her.

Between the personal question Shelby asks and Toni surprisingly answers, a mention of a date is thrown out by Toni. The thought of a date, as silly as that sounds has Shelby going pink again. She’s been on dates with Andrew, but Andrew never made her feel like there was a cluster of butterflies in her stomach. There is something about Toni, from her mischievous smirk, to her raspy voice, even the fire in her eyes that makes Shelby want to know more about her, makes her slowly realize that she may even be attracted to her.

It’s why when she perches herself on the edge of Toni’s desk, she spills just a bit of her own, about her sexuality about kissing Becca, even though she doesn’t mention it by name. She takes out the bits about Doctor Farber and his electroshock therapy. She’s glad for the make up that could cover the scars behind her ear and around her neck because even though it happened ten years ago- she still covered it up, she masked her pain. She did out of fear, but maybe now- things would change.

But thank god Toni picks up on what she’s trying to say, her smirk is crooked when she chuckles. “Christ, who the hell knew?” And then asks her to join her for a smoke break.

They climb up some backroom stairs before they come to the roof of Lizzie’s Bar. Below the city still moves on, cars zoom by on the highway close by and the people below chatter amongst themselves, it’s all so- alive.

The click of Toni’s lighter brings her back.

There is a basketball hoop on the roof, a ball right by it and some crates to sit on. However, Toni leads them to a spot of the roof that isn’t fenced in and they sit down, legs dangling on the ledge. “So,” Toni leads off as she takes a drag and offers it to Shelby who shakes her head, a smile still on her face. “Do you really think that this will work, that your dad just won’t buy himself out of prison?” She blows smoke up into the night sky. “A lot of one percenters have a knack of getting out of trouble.”

Shelby again shakes her head. “I sincerely hope that he doesn’t.” She swings her legs gently back and forth, looking up at the dull, starless sky. “I uh, I found these emails.” She clears her throat, “Pictures and videos-” She takes a deep breath. “They weren’t long- just a few seconds, but there is enough in those emails to convict him and once you get those BDs figured out, it’ll be enough to put him away. Even more so if I can some how mange to find all those women to speak out against him.”

Toni hums. “That’s a lot harder than you think. They coulda been paid off, maybe signed something.” She pauses. “I’m not trying to be mean- just real with you right now.”

Shelby looks from the sky and back to Toni. It’s strange how she can already tell that Toni was coming form a good place, hell, she’d take any advice that she could give her. Though the Moxes way of dealing with a sexual predator was more violent from what she picked up. “I just want you to realize that women that have been through that sorta trauma, it’s- well, hard for them to talk about it, hard for them to come forward. Especially when it someone as powerful as your dad, Shelby. This isn’t going to fix itself with a fancy red ribbon. It’s gonna be messy and dirty and you’ll come under so much fire. Reporters will ask you why you’re exposing your father, why you’re turning against him and you gotta figure out what to say and where to stay when things get bad. Because what you’re doing, it could end up with your death.” Toni explains. “You need a plan for yourself, for your safety and figure out honest answers to the questions that you’ll be asked.”

There had been a lot of emotions cycling through Shelby’s body, so many feelings that she had to mask that she was finally able to unleash. She knew the woman beside her was right, she knew that this case against Dave Goodkind would end in two ways. She hoped it would be with her dad losing everything and his corporation that had been built on hate and lies crumbling to the ground. It would require honesty, something else Shelby would have to learn. Honesty with herself and the other people around her.

Maybe she could start with Toni, Shelby thinks.

Again, they hadn’t known each other for a night- but Toni teemed with hate for Dave Goodkind and it didn’t take a genius to know why. She was someone who had to grow up on the street, someone who had to wonder when and where she would get her next meal and Toni, Shelby begins to think is someone who she could trust. So she talks, she talks because she had to, she talks because she had spent so long keeping herself bottled up from the world that she’s close to popping, which she does.

“You really wanna know why I’m doing this?” She asks Toni who nods carefully. “Alright.” She sucks in a deep breath, picks at her nails and then looks back up to the sky. She misses the stars back in her suburban home in Texas. Though after this, it’s not much of a home anymore. “You spoke about my dad and his principles before- and I already told you about him finding out about me being- you know?” _Gay_ it’s there, it’s on the tip of her tongue and she wonders why she can say it, but Toni seems to understand where she’s getting at, she nods her head, encourages her to go one. “Becca was the girl I kissed.” She tells her and already feels lighter. “I didn’t- I was so _young_ and I was in love with her. I didn’t realize it was that sorta love until after I kissed her. My dad caught up, literally dragged me outta my room by my hair and forced Becca to leave, that he’d be in touch with her father and it was the last time I’d ever see her- until last year when she came to me with accusations against my father. Seeing her, even under those circumstances brought everything that I thought I had gotten rid of back and I got so scared, I couldn’t go through what happened again so I blew her off.”

And Toni is silent as she listens, Shelby finds it calming as she continues on. “See, after he caught me, I became a prisoner in my own home. Because no child of Dave Goodkind would be a homo.” She scoffs. “Then he heard about this program, a re-wiring of the brain so to speak and he gets in contact with Doctor Farber.”

“Wait,” Toni interrupts for the first time. “That nutjob quack that was arrested after he literally scrambled some poor girl’s mind? That Doctor Farber?”

Shelby nods. “Yup, that Doctor Farber and that poor girl? Me.” She tries to read Toni’s face and what she see’s is anger and maybe empathy. “He told my dad that with a little tweaking to my neroport, he could go into my head and make me the way god intended, pure- _normal._ ” She reaches into her purse and grabs her pack of makeup wipes, pulling one from the pack before she drags it along her skin- removing part of her mask to show Toni and only Toni for now. She is aware of the way the other woman moves closer to peer at the pink scars that almost look like tree branches that extended from her neroport and up and along the back of her neck, climbing toward her hair. “But this happened,” She tries not to shake as she recalls it. “He shot so much electric power through my port that it fried everything and almost killed me. It was like-” She tries to recall what the doctor said. “Being struck by lightning, I was lucky to have survived. It took me a long time for my brain to heal back up- sometimes I get glitches still, but it’s better than not knowing how to talk or walk or even feed myself. I had to learn all of that while I was rumored to be on some woman’s retreat.”

She can hear Toni swallow and then curse while taking a drag from her cigarette. “All of that because you’re gay?”

Shelby can’t say anything, she can only nod while Toni takes another drag and then pushes it out into the concreate beside her. “Well fuck him, fuck him and his backwards beliefs. You didn’t deserve that and the women he exploited sure as hell didn’t deserve that. That motherfucker is going down and if I have to lose sleep while breaking his encryption, so be it.” She rants and Shelby gives her a small smile. “Fucker is lucky that I don’t send a Mox in there to shoot arsenic through his fuckin’ IV tube- or set his hospital room on fire, I don’t know.”

Shelby’s confession seems to be enough to get Toni in gear because she stands up and dusts off the back of her pants. “C’mon, we have work to do.” She extends her hand out to help Shelby up. “And for the record, you’re beautiful as you are.” Shelby’s pink and warm again while Toni smiles. “Queer and scars alike, you’re still you. Besides,” Toni grunts as she pulls her to her feet. “Chicks dig scars and those- are fuckin’ awesome. Fatin would be all over you if she knew about those.”

She’s like a love struck teen when she mumbles a thank you that makes Toni chuckle. “Toni,” She finally manages, and the brunette turns around while they walk down the stairs. “Thank you for listening and not judging. I never talked about if before and you’re the first person who well, outside my family knows what happened. I mean, I will tell the public but for now-”

“Don’t worry,” Toni interrupts, putting a hand on her shoulder. “This is your truth and it needs to come from your mouth. We’ll do our best getting him- or die trying.”

“I sincerely hope it’s the first one.” Shelby mumbles and Toni nods.

“Oh I do too, it’d be a shame wouldn’t it?” She asks, pushing the door open and allowing Shelby to walk in. “Not getting to know you a bit better?”

Shelby flushes and ducks her head down a bit. “Yeah,” She finally says, feeling a soft smile form on her lips. “It really would be a shame.”

“So maybe on our next break, I could give you a tour of Kabuki, like Fatin mentioned?” Toni asks her. “Make you a bit more humble?”

Shelby doesn’t pause or miss a beat, she seems pretty eager when she almost shouts a yes, but it’s worth it when it ends up causing Toni to smile again.


End file.
